Where an antenna or a similar payload is installed on a gimbal system, such that the antenna is used to point at a selected target, overall pointing direction performance may be adversely affected by intrinsic errors that exist in various system locations, such as inboard, internal, and outboard locations of the gimbal system. Pointing performance after an antenna mapping calibration may still be sensitive to the gimbal angles of the gimbal system, especially in the case where the antenna needs to cover a large field of view. Many of the intrinsic errors are due to components of the gimbal system that are not readily measurable which can cause difficulty in calibration, control, and pointing accuracy. Pointing control and accuracy are particularly challenging for applications where the antenna is mounted on a moving platform (e.g., a satellite or a ship) and is pointing at a fixed or moving target. These errors may be even more difficult to correct where the gimbal system includes multiple gimbals (e.g., two or more two-axis gimbals).